This week, Pastor Louie wrapped up Revelation 2-3 by diving into the final five letters that Christ wrote to the Church, unpacking specific themes that help us understand how Christ is challenging the Church and what gets consumed when we return, discern, and endure.
Key Takeaway
Jesus is calling us up and out of a drifting, waning, compromised, lukewarm, and sleeping church.
At the center of heaven is Christ loving and longing for His Church.
Revelation 22:12-17
He is commending and challenging the Church because He loves her.
Observations
- There is a blaring focus in these letters on the person and the work of Satan. There is an intense spiritual battle raging on earth. It's costing people their lives, and it always has. The problem is many things, but the cause is Satan. There are human instruments, but there is a spiritual enemy. Are we focused on the people or aware of the anti-Christ spirit? The enemy of the Church isn't somebody, but it's people controlled by the enemy with a spirit that is anti-God and anti-Christ. We are more focused on people, and we need to be more focused on Satan. Let's elevate our thinking and understand we're in a spiritual battle, calling on Jesus instead of poking at people. Our battle is not against flesh and blood.
- The Church is far from perfect, but she’s going to be (Ephesians 6:25-27). We're still here because Jesus is perfect. Jesus is purifying and calling us up. He is making her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and presenting her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
- The Name is paramount to God. Taking God's name in vain means calling on Him like a vending machine or saying that we belong with Him even though we're infatuated with one hundred other names, or not believing in Him.
The name Jesus is mentioned only six times, and Jesus only refers to Himself as Jesus once. He has dozens of other names to describe Himself. He calls Himself Jesus once to let you know that the Revelation is about Jesus.
He has a name that is higher, that is above any other name. Sin makes our lives about names, but Revelation makes our lives about THE name. Don't live for the name of someone else, for culture, or for a job. All of those things are less than the name of Jesus.
Make it all about the name of Jesus.
Return. Discern. Endure.
Something is getting consumed. What gets consumed? A drifting, waning, compromised, lukewarm, sleeping Church.
Quote
"You want to make your life count? Return, discern, endure, and make it all about one name."
Louie Giglio
Discussion Questions
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Louie Giglio Louie Giglio is the Visionary Architect and Director of the Passion Movement, comprised of Passion Conferences, Passion City Church, Passion Publishing and sixstepsrecords, and the founder of Passion Institute.